A Person's a Person, No Matter How Creepy
by Raven-of-Moraea
Summary: Almost everybody in the Jungle of Nool is afraid of Vlad Vladikoff. But, is he really such a bad guy? Granted, he can be a bit scary sometimes, but is he really all that bad? Maybe Vlad's just a little lonely. Maybe he just needs a few friends. Vlad/OC
1. Chapter 1

I have fallen under the spell of yet another animated film...

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"Over here! Over here!" Rudy yelled, laughing happily. "Throw it! Throw it!" The little kangaroo hopped through the jungle, looking over his shoulder as his friends followed close behind him. "C'mon, Tommy!" He called to the chubby primate/hippo, running just behind him. Tommy laughed and threw the "ball", well, in this case, a large, round purple fruit, to Rudy.

"Hey!" Cried Jessica, the young jungle bird. Her, Katie, and her friend, Amber, ran alongside her, trying to catch up to the two boys. "That's not fair! You guys are faster!" She cried indignantly.

Rudy and Tommy laughed wholeheartedly and looked over their shoulders. "You gotta get the ball away from us if you wanna win!" Tommy guffawed, running faster. Eventually, he passed Rudy and cried, "Rudy! Pass it over here!"

The young kangaroo bit his tongue and aimed carefully. Swinging his arm back, then forward again, he released the fruit and it soared through the air, straight towards Tommy. Tommy held his arms out, ready to catch it, but, just as he was about grab for it--

_Whoosh!_

Jessica flew in and caught the ball between her feet. "Ha! I got it, guys! I got the ball!"

Then, out of nowhere, Rudy hopped up and snatched the ball right out of Jessica's feet. "You _had _the ball! Ha, ha!" Rudy laughed triumphantly, skidding to an abrupt halt before he hit a palm tree.

"Rudy!" Jessica squeeled. "You are so rude!"

Rudy laughed again, but, just as he was turning around, Amber came up head-butted the ball out of Rudy's paws. "Ha!" She cried, chasing after it as it rolled down a hill.

"Hey!" Rudy barked, chasing after her. Soon, everyone was trying to get the ball! Rudy made a grab for it, but it sailed right under his feet. Tommy dove for it, but accidentally skidded right past it. Jessica swooped down to grab it, but she missed it just by an inch. Amber caught up to it and scooped it up on her nose, holding it in the air for just a minute, before--

_Bam!_

Rudy, Katie, Jessica, and Tommy all crashed into Amber, throwing the ball about thirty feet into the air. It sailed over a palm tree and landed in the trees, out of sight. No one even saw where it landed.

As they all stared at the spot, one kid on top of the other, where they thought the ball had probably landed, Rudy hit the ground with a fist. "Aw, man! Now what?"

"What do you mean 'now what?'? One of us is going to go get it, and it's _not _gonna be me." Jessica stated, crossing one wing over the other and sticking her beak in the air with a, "Hmpf!"

The others rolled their eyes. "Well, I'm not getting it." Tommy said.

"Me neither!" Amber called out quickly.

Katie mearly shook her furry head. "Nuh-uh."

Rudy sighed. Apparently, it was up to him to retrieve the ball. "Oh, fine! I'll go get it." He said, kicking a rock out of his way. "I'll be right back." He moaned.

Quickly sprinting into the forest, he began his search for the ball. After a few minutes of searching, a nasty smell met his nostrils. He wrinkled his nose and winced. "Ew! What is that smell?" He asked, covering his nose. Still, he pressed forward, and, not long after that, he came across a murky swamp.

"Hm." He grunted, tilting his head to the side as he glanced at the unknown, yet familiar, place. "When have I been here before?" He asked himself, studying the bog some more.

He froze and stared at the vast, muddy wasteland, wincing at every little sound he heard. Cautiously, he made his way through the moss and moist ground, walking up to a tree covered in sharp thorns. Frightfully, he peered inside, and, at the very bottom of the cave-like trunk, he saw the ball, just sitting on the ground.

Carefully, he stepped over the pointy thorns and got closer and closer to the ball. Then, like a ton of bricks, the memories came rushing back to him. He froze once more in mid-step, and gulped. "W-w-wait." He squeeked. "I-I know who lives here!"

_Thud!_

A large figure landed in front of him, almost making the very ground shake. It loomed over the helpless kangaroo, it's beak, filled with rows of yellow teeth, curled into a low growl. It's black, messy feathers glowed in the sunlight that poored in through the large hole in the tree's trunk. It's wings were spread out, making the large bird look terrifyingly huge.

"V-V-V-V-V-" The poor kangaroo couldn't seem to get the word out of his mouth. Finally, "VLAAAAAAAAAD!" The terrified little joey turned tail and bolted for the way out. He hopped over the the thorn-coverd branches and burst through the opening. He could tell that he was being followed, and that his pursuer wasn't far behind, and just the very thought of that fact frightened him enough to make him go faster than he ever ran before. The swamp seemed to never end.

Then, much to the kangaroo's horror, his foot got caught up on a tree's root, and he fell flat on his face. Instinctively, the little kangaroo covered his face with his arms and waited for the bird's deadly attack.

Then--

_Plop!_

Slowly, Rudy lowered his trembling paws and slowly opened one eye after the other. Right there, not three inches away from his nose, was...the ball!

Surprised, he lifted his head and glanced at the ball. "Huh?" He turned his head around and nearly gasped aloud when he came face to face with Vlad once again.

The large bird just stared right back at him, not looking angry at all. He simply stared at the little kangaroo, looked somewhat annoyed. After a minute of just gawking at one another, Vlad stretched out one of his massive wings and pointed at the ball. "There." He grunted in his thick, Russian accent. Then, he turned on his heel until all Rudy could see of him was his back. "Now, go." The bird said, not facing Rudy. He began to stalk away, not saying another word.

Had he not been so surprised, Rudy might have actually said thank you. But, before he had even gotten the chance to open his mouth, Vlad disappeared into the tree's trunk. He was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

No comment

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"He gave it _back _to you?!" Tommy asked, eyes as large as saucers. Him and the others were still trying to take in everything Rudy had just told them about what happened in the swamp.

The little kangaroo nodded, denying nothing and looking just as surprised as his friends were. "It's all true! He really did just give it back."

"He didn't try to eat you?" Amber asked.

"Or try to claw your eyes out?" Tommy added.

"Or rip off your limbs and eat them while you watch?" Katie piped in curiously. She received weird stares from her friends after that suggestion.

Rudy just shook his head and held the ball up for everyone to see. "No. He just gave the ball back."

"Did he say anything?" Jessica asked.

Rudy scratched his head. "Well, yeah. But...not really much--"

"What'd he say? What'd he say?" The other four asked quickly, surrounding the kangaroo, now more interested than afraid.

"Well, all he said was--" Then, in the best fake Russian accent he could, he said in a creepy voice, "'There. Now, go.' Then he just turned and walked away. He didn't say anything else."

"Sounds like he didn't want ya there to me." Tommy said.

"I don't think he did." Rudy agreed.

"Well...what do we do now?" Jessica asked no one in particular.

"We got the ball back. Let's play." Tommy suggested.

"But...what about Vlad?" Rudy blurted out.

The others gave him puzzled looks. Tommy took a step forward. "What about him? He gave you the ball back."

"Yeah, but...I never really..._thanked _hm for it." Rudy pointed out. The others couldn't believe what they were hearing. He didn't actually mean what they thought he meant, did they?

As if answering the question in all their minds, Rudy said, "Maybe we should go say thank you."

"What?!" Tommy, Amber, and Jessica yelped simultaneously. Katie didn't protest. She just stood there, staring up at the clouds.

"Dude!" Tommy drawled. "Are you insane?!" He threw his arms up in the air. "You have _definitely_ been in your mom's pouch too long! You're talking _suicide_ here!"

"It can't hurt to just say thank you." Rudy stated.

"Yeah, uh, actually, it _can_! It just all depends on if you say it _while_ or _before_ he's ripping the flesh off your body." Tommy argued.

"Maybe he won't try to eat us." Rudy said.

"_Us_?! Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tommy said. "What makes you think all of us are going in there?"

"You have to come!" Rudy pleaded.

"Why?"

"Well...he can't take on all five of us, can he?" Rudy asked.

The other animals thought about it for a minute. "Um...you know, he does kinda have a point." Amber said.

"Oh, who's side are you on?!" Tommy cried. "Have you ever _seen _Vlad Vladikoff before? Us _tiny_, him _big_! He'd gobble us up before we even have a chance to scream."

"Fine!" Rudy barked. "If you four _chickens _are too scared to go, then I'll go thank him myself." He turned around and began to stomp off toward the swamp. Katie, without hesitation, smiled at the others and bounced after Rudy.

Indignantly, Tommy called after him, "I...I'm no chicken!"

"What do we do now?" Jessica asked.

"Should we go with them?" Amber asked.

"Yes." The other two replied, watching Rudy and Katie go.

"Are we going to?" Jessica said.

They all looked at each other with uneasy expressions. After a minute or two, they made their decision.

"Rudy! Rudy! Wait for us!"


	3. Chapter 3

No comment

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Tommy scanned the vast, murky landscape with wide eyes. Moss-covered trees, with their twisted and mangled forms, surrounded the five friends, the tips of their branches like outstretched claws, just waiting for an opportunity to grab anything that walked by them. Tommy gulped and turned to Rudy and the others with a sheepish grin. "Uhh...you know...maybe we don't exactly _have _to go _inside _Vlad's house. M-maybe we could just...leave a thank you note?" He suggested, cringing slightly and bringing his arms up to his chest.

Rudy rolled his eyes, even though, he had to admit, he was a little frightened himself. He looked over at Tommy. "Come on. We won't be here for too long. We're just--"

"Going to get our faces ripped off." Tommy cut in with a deadpan voice.

Rudy sighed. "Like I was _saying_, we're just gonna tell him we're happy he gave us the ball back--"

"And _then _we're gonna get our faces ripped off!" Tommy said sarcastically in a cheery voice. He looked at Rudy with an annoyed expression. The small kangaroo did the same. "Then, we're outta here." Rudy finally finished his statement without an interruption.

He jerked his head in the right direction, indicating he wanted his friends to follow him as he began to hop through the muddy ground.

Katie just blinked and bounced after him, not even aware of the apparent "danger" they might be in. Sharing reluctant looks, Jessica, Tommy, and Amber looked around frightfully and slowly began to follow the others.

After a few minutes of just trudging through the slimy and moist area--

"Ahh!"

Rudy whirled around to see Amber trying to pull Jessica out of a puddle of mud. The young jungle bird looked at her muddy feathers in disgust and said, "I wanna go home! This place is disgusting!" She wiped some muck off her wings.

Rudy rolled his eyes and went over to help his friend. Him grabbing one of her wings, and Amber grabbing the other with her short, trunk-like nose, they pulled her out of the puddle with little effort. Jessica looked down at herself and groaned. "This is _so _not how I wanted to spend my day!"

Rudy sighed. "Don't worry, we're almost there. C'mon." He began to hop again.

Tommy held his hands in front of him and balled them up into fists. "If he tells us to 'come on' one more time, I'm gonna--"

"We're here, guys!" Rudy called from the other side of a tree. Quickly, the others hurried to keep up with him. Another minute later, they were all standing in front of the large, thorny tree that Vladikoff called home. They all huddled together, feeling tiny and pathetic in front of the large tree.

"O-o-okay Rudy." Tommy said, giving his friend a nudge. "You first."

"Wha--? No, no." Rudy said. "You're bigger than me. _You _first." He nudged his friend back.

Tommy pushed Rudy a little more roughly this time and said, "This was your idea, man. _You _first."

"You." Rudy shot back.

"No, you." Tommy barked.

"You."

"You."

"You."

"Shut up, you guys!" Amber snapped. "Why don't we all go in at the same time?" She suggested.

The others were about to agree when they saw something out of the corner of their eyes. Walking toward the cave already was none other than Katie. She hopped on one of the thorny branches at the entrance and disappeared inside.

"Katie!" Rudy called in a high whisper.

"Katie! Get back here!" Whispered Amber frantically. Her, Rudy, and Jessica bolted after her.

"Uh...guys?" Tommy called after them. Cringing at the thought of being alone outside, he ran after them and followed them into the tree. "Oh, jeez!" He groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

No comment

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Rudy, Jessica, Amber, and Tommy finally found Katie sitting in a small clearing in the very center of the dead tree. She was looking around blankly, not even paying attention to her approaching friends. Her little tail wiggled behind her happily.

The five friends huddled together in the clearing, glancing at the thorny branches from time to time. It was very quiet in the tree. Almost a little too quiet. They seemed to be alone, but, they weren't. The sunlight pouring in from the gaping hole in the tree's upper half provided some, but not much, comfort.

After a minute, Rudy cleared his throat. "Um...M-Mr. Vladikoff? Sir?" He called out, stepping forward slowly. "A-a-are you home, ?"

Tommy whimpered. "I have a bad feeling about this." He said, glancing around nervously. "M-maybe we should g-g-go, Rudy. I-I-I don't think he's home."

Rudy wasn't about to give up yet. He had to get this off his chest. "Mr. Vla...I mean...Vlad?" He tried again, using the bird's first name. "Are you here?"

_Creeeeak! Scratch. Scratch._

Rudy stiffened, but still tried his luck. "Mr. Vladikoff? Is that you, sir?"

_Creak! Creak! Scratch._

The others bunched closer together and whimpered at the noises. They couldn't tell where they were coming from, which only heightened their fears.

Rudy, less frightened, and almost beginning to feel irritated, tried once more. "Mr. Vladi--"

_Thud!_

Out of nowhere, Vlad landed in front of the little kangaroo and his friends. Rudy almost jumped atleast five feet in the air and his friends let out small shrieks and hugged eachother.

The bird didn't look very happy. He looked down at Rudy and his eyes widened. "Wha--? You again?" He said, tilting his head to the side.

Rudy cleared his throat. "H-h-h-hi, M-Mr. V-V-Vladikoff. I-I-I j-just wanted to--"

"What is it you are vanting from me zis time, eh? I gave ball back, did I not?" Vlad pointed out, obviously irritated. "You here to scream in my face some more, eh? 'Cuz if that is case, then, shoo. Go on. Get out of here. I have better things to do." He turned around and started to walk away.

"N-n-no! No, w-we just came to thank you." Rudy explained, becoming less nervous.

This made Vladikoff stop dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turned to the small group of young animals with an incredible look on his face. After a minute, his look of pure astonishment turned to confusion. Slowly, he drawled, "You...vish to thank...me?"

Rudy nodded his head, smiling a little bit. "Uh-huh."

His friends quickly nodded, too, not wanting to anger the bird.

Vlad turned back around and approached the little kangaroo. Bending down slightly, he studied Rudy's face, almost as if he were trying to see if the little kangaroo was lying or not. Weirdly enough, the bird sniffed the small kangaroo. After a minute, Vlad cocked one eyebrow and said quietly, "Velcome."

Rudy smiled at Vlad, for the first time, not feeling afraid of the large bird. Much to Vlad's own surprise, he found himself smiling back, although the little notion was brief.

Rudy then thought of something. Smiling a little brighter, he straightened up a bit and said, "H-hey. Do you wanna come play ball with us?"

"Wha--?" Tommy nearly squeeled, but he recieved a hard jab in the ribs from Jessica.

Vlad reeled his head back in surprise. This was the first time someone, especially a child, had asked _him _if he wanted to play with them. "Play?" He asked. "Vith you?" The bird almost thought he had misheard what Rudy had said. "Ha! Is comical! I don't think so."

Rudy's face fell slightly. "How come?"

Vlad cocked an eyebrow. This child was serious? He answered, "I start playing childish games vith little ones, boom, my reputation is ruined."

"But...do you _want _to play?" Rudy asked.

Vlad, caught off guard, scratched the back of his head. "Vell...I..." Not really wanting to tell the truth, Vlad shook his head and snapped, "What's it to you?"

"Well...if you _did _play with us...our teams would be evened out. It wouldn't be two to three anymore." Rudy explained.

Vlad shook his head. "No."

Rudy's ears drooped, indicating he wasn't happy with Vlad's decision. He obviously wanted the bird to know this also. Vladikoff took notice. He bit his bottom beak, trying not to let the small joey's sad face get to him. Finally, he exclaimed, "Vhy are you wanting to play with old Vlad anyway?! Look at me! I have the claws, and-and...the sharp fangs...Is scary, no? Why would you vant to play vith me?"

Rudy's sadness turned to sympathy. "Well...I don't think you're that scary." He said. "The way I see it, you're probably just...lonely. A-and, you need some friends."

Vlad looked away awkwardly. _Little kangaroo is right, _he thought.

Rudy smiled a little bit. "I'll be your friend if ya want."

Each word hit Vlad like a ton of bricks. _I'll. Be. Your. Friend. _Quickly, he covered a majority of his face with a wing, trying to conceal the smile that played at his beak. He finally was able to control himself and lowered his wing. Considering the thought for a minute, Vlad began to ramble on. "V-vell, I don't know. I mean, I'm not much of a...'play' kind of person. Quite clumsy, actually. Better on wings than feet to tell truth--"

"Well...we could always...teach you how to play." Rudy suggested, smiling.

Vlad looked a bit uneasy. Not really knowing why, he actually wouldn't mind playing a few games with these little ones. After all...he was quite lonely. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Vlad said, "Vell...I guess I could play for little bit..."

Rudy smiled brightly. He turned to his friends, who all began to release one another and started to smile themselves.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks, everyone! For the lovely reviews!

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Vlad kept his head low as he walked behind the group of children, looking at his surroundings curiously. He wasn't that all used to walking around in the Jungle of Nool. Well...in the _nicer _portion, at least. Sure, he had flown over it countless times, sometimes in search of something to eat, but he rarely ever walked through it. He had walked through the swamp plenty of times, but it wasn't the same thing. Out here it was dryer, warmer, and full of color. He actually was enjoying it.

Carefully, he hopped over a fallen tree, balancing on his skinny legs as he reached the other side. He had been telling the truth earlier, about him being better on his wings than on his feet. This wasn't entirely his fault. He was a scavenger, not a hunter. He used his legs, mostly, to carry whatever food he found back to his lair, to hold it in place while he ate, land on the ground after he flew, or to cling onto branches. He never really _ran _anywhere, or at all, for that matter. He had no need to run. He was a bird, and birds were meant to fly, not run. Well, in most cases, anyway. Not that he'd ever want to admit it, he never actually killed a thing in his life. He lived off of things that were already dead, which was the main reason for his somewhat scrawny appearance.

The others led him out to a small clearing where they often played ball together. It was a quiet spot, where they were rarely bothered by anyone, except for their parents when they were called upon to return home.

Tommy walked up besides Rudy and whispered so that only him and Rudy could hear, "Do you think this is a good idea? He probably stinks at playing ball."

"We gotta give him a chance." Rudy said. "And, besides, even if he's not good, that doesn't mean he can't hang out with us." He sent Tommy a sad look. "The poor guy needs some friends, Tommy."

"Alright, alright, alright." Tommy said. "Don't get all sappy on me now, man. I didn't say he still couldn't..._hang out_ with us."

Rudy offered Tommy a small smile and stopped. "Okay," Rudy said, holding the ball in his hands, looking at Vlad and pointing to a spot off to the right. "Stand right there." The bird did as he was told. Then Rudy pointed to Tommy, "Tommy, you go over there." He pointed to his left. Tommy did as he was told also. Then Rudy pointed at the girls. "Okay, you guys go over there." He pointed to the other side of the clearing.

After they were all in place, Rudy turned to Vlad and said, "Okay, all we're doing is kicking the ball to one another, and see how long we can keep it in the air without it touching the ground. Got it?" He asked. Vlad nodded.

"Okay," Rudy said, tossing the ball up and kicking it with his foot a few times. "Here we go. Think fast, Jessica!" He kicked the ball over to Jessica, who scrambled to keep it from falling to the ground. She kicked it with her feet a couple times and cried, "Here ya go, Katie!" She kicked it toward the little yellow oxen.

Katie jumped up and headbutted the ball right over to Tommy. Tommy slapped the ball in the air with his hands for a minute or two before smacking it over to Amber. "Don't drop it, Amber!"

Amber caught the ball on her snout and bounced it up and down a few times. She turned to Vlad and called, "Okay, Vlad. Your turn!" With a grunt, she smacked the ball over in his direction.

Quickly, Vlad outstretched his neck and the ball bounced on his beak. Trying his best to keep it balanced, Vlad lightly bounced it a few times. He stumbled a bit. "Whoa!" Swiftly, before he dropped it, he knocked it back over to Rudy, who caught it in his paws and stared at it in awe. He looked up at Vlad with a pleased smile. "Huh." He looked over at Tommy, who's mouth was hanging open.

Finally, Tommy smiled and nodded his head. "Okay!" He said, obviously convinced that Vlad might make a good ball player after all. He looked at the others and said, "Let's play!"

Vlad's eyes brightened slightly, a small smile curling his beak. He looked at Rudy, who nodded with approval once more. Then, with a sly smile, Rudy hit the ball over to Amber. The game went on, and Vlad didn't drop the ball once. Soon, the game intensified, and everyone was scrambling all over the clearing, laughing and chasing the ball as it soared from left to right.

Rudy laughed and slid across the dirt, kicking the ball over to Vlad just before it hit the ground. Vlad jumped up and hit the ball with a wing. "Haha!" He cried. Apparently, he had put more strength into the hit that he had anticipated, and winced as the ball sailed over a palm tree and landed somewhere in the trees.

"It's goooood!" Tommy cried, throwing his arms in the air.

Vlad curled his wings against his body and chuckled nervously. "Heh heh...oopsy." He muttered, flushing a bit.

"That was _great_!" Rudy whooped, jumping in the air. Then he tackled Vlad playfully. "Get him!"

"Oop!" Vlad let out a winded yelp as Rudy crashed into him, knocking him off his feet. He landed on his back and let out a surprised laugh. Soon, the other kids had tackled him as well. After a minute, they all stepped off of the bird and helped him up. They all chuckled happily.

Vlad was laughing, too. He had never felt this way before. He was acting like a child, and he _liked _it. If this was the way it felt to have friends, then he never wanted it to end. He looked from one kid to the other, noticing that their fear of him from before had vanished, and that they didn't see him as just some scary monster from the swamp, but as a friend. Finally, hyperventilating slightly, he found the right words. "That was..._fun_! I...I am actually liking this."

Rudy laughed wholeheartedly. "So...does this mean...we're friends now?"

Vlad smiled and paused for a minute. Finally, he thought about it and said, "Yes. I guess it does."

Rudy let out cry of delight. "Yes!" He turned to the others and said, "You see, guys! I told you so! I told you so!"

While Rudy was having his little moment, Jessica looked at Vlad and asked, "Are we gonna play ball some more?"

Vlad, remembering he had accidently knocked the ball in the forest, said sheepishly, "Oh, yes. I suppose I should be the one finding it now, yes?"

The others nodded. Vlad shrugged. "Ah, alright." He walked into the trees and began his search for the ball.


	6. Chapter 6

Not much to say, really. Other than, thanks again, and no flamers, please. If you don't like it, don't comment.

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Vlad rolled his eyes in annoyance as he carefully searched through the thick bushes. _Why _had he knocked the ball all the way over here? And of all places. He bent over and stuck his whole head in the thick brush. The leaves tickled his neck, but it was still better than moving branch after branch out of his way.

From a distance, one would easily mistake him for a decapitated black-bottomed eagle from the positon he was in. He looked back and forth, muttering to himself in frustration. "Ugh! This ball for real? Ohhh, why was I cursed with no hands."

He searched for atleast ten minutes in the thick brush with no luck. Finally, he spotted the ball about ten more feet away, rested against the base of a purple bush. "Finally." Vlad mumbled. "Stupid ball."

Just as he was about to grab it, something large and grey crashed through the bush, landing not six inches from Vlad's head. _Splat! _Any closer and it would've been crushed like a melon. It might have looked like...well, what the ball now looked like. Just a puddle of slimy, sticky mush.

Vladikoff winced as bits of the crushed fruit splattered onto his face. Some of the juice ended up in the poor bird's eye. _Good thing that was not sour fruit--_ Vlad stopped in midthought as a stinging feeling appeared in his eyes. It was little at first, but, after a few more seconds--

"Aw, _**MAN**_! Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Vlad tightly closed his eyes and thrust his head violently back and forth, desperately trying to shake the burning pain away. On pure instinct, he covered his eyes with his wings. "Aii! This is why Vlad is _carnivore_! Oh!"

From somewhere off to his left, Vlad heard a small gasp. Then, he heard a voice; "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!"

Then the bird felt someone place a gentle hand on his shoulder. They began to push him somewhere off to the right. He had little choice but to accept the stranger's guidance, considering he was blind now anyway.

"Don't worry, buddy. We'll take care of this in no time." The male voice said. Vlad was sure he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.

After a few minutes, the 'hand' stretched across the bird's shoulder felt heavier. Figuring out that this stranger just wanted him to sit down, Vlad let his legs fall out from underneath him and he plopped down on his feathery hind. He winced and held his wings up to his sore eyes again. "Owwww."

He then heard a small splashing sound, like someone was walking through water. He figured the stranger had led him to the pool. Then, the splashing stopped, and he felt the presence of someone's eyes staring at him. Then, the voice spoke again, "Alright, buddy. This won't hurt a bit." It reassured.

"Oh." Vlad groaned quietly. "What-what are you going to do?"

"Don't worry! I got this." Said the voice. Then, Vlad heard a loud slurping sound. He wasn't sure what this stranger was up to, but he already wasn't liking it.

After a minute, the voice said, "Ready?"

Pausing for a moment, Vladikoff winced and nodded. "Y...yes."

"Alright. Lower your wings. This outta do the trick." The voice said cheerfully.

Vlad lowered his wings from his face. "Why do I have to--"

_PSSHHHHHHHHH!!_

Vladikoff was blasted full in the face by what seemed like a tidal wave of water, making him fly backwards a few feet. "Whoa!" He cried. "S-stop!" He coughed and sputtered. "Please! Stop!"

The water died down and finally stopped coming. Vlad fell forward on his face and began coughing up a storm. "Oh, (cough) holy moly...!" He groaned and struggled to lift his eyelids. His vision was still blurry when he managed to do so, but he could still make out the large grey mass sitting in front of him. Rubbing his eyes with his feet, Vlad's vision finally cleared. His eyes met a large pair of blue ones, not five inches away from his own.

"Feeling better?" Horton the elephant asked.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Vlad screamed, jumping.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Horton yelled back.

The two reeled back and stared at one another in complete disbelief. Each put an arm, or in this case, a trunk and wing, over their chests, breathing heavily.

Finally, Vlad, the first of them to speak, barked, "Don't..._do _that!" He wasn't angry, just a little shaken. Horton had startled him by sticking his face in his own that close while he still couldn't see. "You almost scare yesterday's dinner out of me."

Horton, still in shaock, just stuttered, "I...I'm sorry V-V-Vlad."

Vladikoff just sighed and sat back down on the bank. He looked up at the elephant wearily. Horton stared back. Then, Vlad noticed something odd about the elephant. Why hadn't Horton run away? He cocked an eyebrow and said, "What? You're still here? Are you not scared of me?"

Horton gave Vlad a funny look. "Um...n-no. Why? Should I be?"

Now it was Vlad's turn to look puzzled. "Uhhh...I thought you hated me?"

Horton threw his head back in surprise. He raised an eyebrow himself. "Hate you?" He asked, looking at the bird as if he were crazy. "Why would I hate you?"

Vlad lowered his head in shame and gazed up at the elephant sadly. "Because...because of clover incident?" He said helpfully, cringing at the thought of Horton's reaction.

Finally realizing what Vlad was talking about, Horton just averted his eyes to the side awkwardly. "Oh...well...that wasn't..._entirely _your fault. I mean...the kangaroo told you to do that, didn't she?"

Vlad shrugged. "Vell...yes, but--"

"Then, there's really nothing to worry about." Horton said, offering Vlad a small smile. "I'm not gonna hold it against you."

Vlad raised his head a little. "You...you're not?" He asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Horton shook his head and his smile grew. Vlad would've smiled back had he not been so surprised. This elephant was one of the weirdest people he'd ever met. Finally, Vlad managed to smile a tiny bit, which only seemed to make Horton all the happier.

Horton outstretched his trunk to the bird. Vlad stared at it, not knowing what Horton exactly wanted him to do. He looked up at the elephant oddly for some support.

Realizing Vlad didn't know what the small gesture meant, he said, "Truce?"

Vlad looked at Horton's trunk for a minute. Hesitant. Finally, he slowly held out his claws and took Horton's trunk in his foot. They shook. Vlad smiled again. "Truce." He repeated.

Horton smiled.

Vlad then chuckled nervously. "Um...per-perhaps you could keep this a secret? You know, I...I don't want everyone thinking that I...I..."

"May be a good person after all?" Horton said helpfully with a sly smile.

Vlad shrugged innocently. "W-well...I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet ail-e-phant..." Vlad drawled out the word in his Russian accent. "This, ehh, this is just simple gesture of truce. This not mean I'm--" He had almost finished his sentance when--

"Hey, Vlad! Did you find the ball?"

"Yeah! We've been waiting forever!"

Vlad winced as five young animals burst out of the trees and onto the bank. He turned to Horton and began chuckling nervously again. "Aheh heh...um...babysitting?" He offered, but slumped immediately after the words left his mouth. He let out a small, defeated sigh. There was no denying it. He was busted, and he knew it.


End file.
